Can't Help Falling in Love

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"Can't Help Falling in Love"
One of original 1961 North American variants of the standard artwork
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Blue Hawaii
B-side"Rock-A-Hula Baby"
ReleasedNovember 22, 1961
RecordedMarch 23, 1961
StudioRadio Recorders, Hollywood
GenrePop
Length2:59
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Elvis Presley (Joseph Lilley for Paramount Pictures)[2]
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Little Sister"
(1961)
"Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby"
(1961)
"Good Luck Charm" / "Anything That's Part of You"
(1962)
Official audio
"Can't Help Falling in Love" (audio) on YouTube

"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc.[1] The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour",[3] a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".[4]

"Can't Help Falling in Love" was featured in Presley's 1961 film Blue Hawaii. It has also been recorded by many other artists, including Swedish pop group A-Teens, and the British reggae group UB40, whose 1993 version topped the US and UK charts. It was listed as one of the greatest songs of all-time by Rolling Stone, ranking #403 in the list's 2012 edition.[5]

Background and release[edit]

Elvis Presley's version of the song topped the British charts in 1962, spending four weeks at no. 1. The single is certified Platinum by the RIAA, for US sales in excess of one million copies. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 behind Joey Dee and the Starliters' "Peppermint Twist"[6] and went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks.[7][8]

During Presley's late 1960's and 1970's live performances, the song was performed as the show's finale. Most notably, it was also sung in the live segment of his 1968 NBC television special, and as the closer for his 1973 Global telecast Aloha from Hawaii. A version with a faster arrangement was the closing number in Presley's final TV special, Elvis in Concert. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was also the last song he performed live, at his concert in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena on June 26, 1977.[9]

The recording appeared on the 1997 CD re-issue Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 as a bonus track and on the 2002 career retrospective collection ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits. In 2010, the song was included on the Viva Elvis: The Album. This is a remixed version that features Canadian singer Sherry St-Germain. Interestingly the track fades out with Elvis repeating part of the 1956 song "Love Me". In 2015, the song was included on the If I Can Dream album on the 80th anniversary of Presley's birth. The version uses archival voice recordings of Presley and his singers, backed by new orchestral arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The song is used as an anthem by several English football clubs since the 1960s, including Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Swindon Town and Sunderland.[10] According to a 2020 survey by OnBuy, the song is the most popular choice for couples as the song for the first dance at their wedding.[11]

Track listings[edit]

7-inch single

  1. "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You"
  2. "Rock-A-Hula Baby"

Personnel[edit]

Credits sourced from AFM union contracts and label records.[12]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[23] Platinum 90,000
Italy (FIMI)[24] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] 2× Platinum 1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

UB40 version[edit]

"(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You"
European variant of standard CD/vinyl edition
Single by UB40
from the album Sliver: Music from the Motion Picture and Promises and Lies
B-sideJungle Love"
ReleasedMay 10, 1993 (1993-05-10)[27]
Genre
Length3:24
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)UB40
UB40 singles chronology
"One in Ten"
(1992)
"(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You"
(1993)
"Higher Ground"
(1993)
Official audio
"(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You" on YouTube

In 1993, British reggae band UB40 covered the original 1961 Elvis Presley recording as the first single from their 1993 album, Promises and Lies. The song was released on May 10, 1993, and eventually climbed to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for seven weeks, becoming their 4th and last top 10 hit. It also topped the charts of 11 other countries, including Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand (where it was the most successful single of 1993), and the United Kingdom, where it spent two weeks at No. 1.[28]

The song appears on the soundtrack of the movie Sliver,[29] the trailer for Fools Rush In, and an episode of Hindsight. In the US, and on the Sliver soundtrack, the song title was listed as "Can't Help Falling in Love," rather than what appeared on the record sleeve, which included parentheses around the words "I Can't Help". The single version of the song also has a slightly different backing rhythm and melody.

The song and band also appear in the 1997 film Speed 2: Cruise Control.

Critical reception[edit]

In his review, Rovi Staff from AllMusic noted that "carried by the hit "Can't Help Falling in Love", Promises and Lies finishes UB40's transition from a reggae band to an adult-contemporary band that plays reggae-pop."[30] Another editor, David Jeffries said the song is "representing the ultra-slick, easy to swallow side of the band".[31] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "U.K. dancehall stars indulge in Elvis Presley memories on this first single from the soundtrack to Sharon Stone's new movie, Sliver." He added that it "has a pillowy, midtempo pace that dabbles in island beats and radio-conscious funk. Brassy horns are a jolting, though ultimately pleasing, element in the arrangement. A fun respite from usual top 40 fare."[32]

Marisa Fox from Entertainment Weekly said the song is "this album's equivalent" of their earlier version of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine", noting that the band "revitalize" it. She also noted that "they try some snappy new production tricks", like the "full-blown orchestrations" on the song, adding that "those kinds of enhancements only make the blend that much more infectious."[33] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote that "this was a hit almost before it had even been released."[34] Pan-European magazine Music & Media viewed it as a "reggae remake that sounds like the sun will never stop shining."[35] Alan Jones from Music Week described it as a "predictable ramble through the Elvis Presley/Andy Williams/Stylistics perennial".[36] A reviewer from People magazine called it a "Rasta-Lite" version.[37]

Music video[edit]

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American filmmaker Neil Abramson. The video features scenes from the movie and snippets of the band playing and dancing.[38] It was published on YouTube in June 2009. The video has amassed more than 84 million views as of November 2023.[39]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[66] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[82] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[83] Silver 125,000*
Germany (BVMI)[84] Platinum 500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[85] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[87] Platinum 606,000[86]
United States (RIAA)[89] Platinum 1,300,000[88]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

A-Teens version[edit]

"Can't Help Falling in Love"
Single by A-Teens
from the album Lilo & Stitch and Pop 'til You Drop!
B-side"Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride"
ReleasedMay 13, 2002
Recorded2002
GenreDance-pop
Length3:06
LabelWalt Disney Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mark Hammond
A-Teens singles chronology
"Heartbreak Lullaby"
(2001)
"Can't Help Falling in Love"
(2002)
"Floorfiller"
(2002)

"Can't Help Falling in Love" was the A-Teens' first single from their third studio album, Pop 'til You Drop!, and is also included in the Lilo & Stitch movie soundtrack. The song has two music videos, one to promote the Disney movie, the other for the album. The song is also included in the teen pop compilation album Disney Girlz Rock and featured as a bonus track on the A-Teens' album New Arrival for the European market.

Charts[edit]

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[90] 35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[91] 50
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[92] 12

Music video[edit]

The video was directed by Gregory Dark and filmed in Los Angeles, California. There are two different versions of the video: one which features scenes from Lilo & Stitch and one without.

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Can't Help Falling in Love" (album version) – 3:06
  2. "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" – 3:27
    Performed by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and North Shore Children's Choir & Key Cygnetures
  3. "He Mele, No Lilo" – 2:28
    Performed by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and North Shore Children's Choir & Key Cygnetures
    Included in only Australian and one of European releases

Other notable versions[edit]

  • The song was sampled by Jvke for "I Can't Help It" (2022).[104]

References[edit]

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